Les Litanies de Satan

"Les Litanies de Satan" ("The Litanies of Satan") is a poem by Charles Baudelaire, published as part of Les Fleurs du mal . The date of composition is unknown, but there is no evidence that it was composed at a different time to the other poems of the volume. ^[1]

The poem is a renunciation of religion, and Catholicism in particular. ^[2] It includes a blasphemous inversion of the Kyrie Eleison and the Glory Be, parts of the Catholic Mass, ^[3] or it substitutes Satan for Mary and liturgy directed towards her. ^[4] Swinburne called it the key to Les Fleurs du mal. ^[4] The poet empathises with Satan, who has also experienced injustice ^[5] and can have pity for those who are outcasts. But for political reasons, Baudelaire had to preface the poem with a note explaining he had no personal allegiance with Satan. ^[6] Even so, Les Fleurs du mal led to him and his publishers being fined for "insult to public decency".

The poem is an inspiration to Satanists to this day. ^[7]

Recordings

• American composer and electronic music pioneer, Ruth White, recorded an English translation for her 1969 release Flowers of Evil.
• In 1982, it was recorded in the original French by Diamanda Galás with electronic effects and released as a 12" single as The Litanies of Satan . It was later released as a CD.
• The Czech band Root (band) recorded the end of this poem on their 1991 album Hell Symphony.
• The Greek band Necromantia recorded an English translation for their début album Crossing the Fiery Path released in 1993.
• The Mexican thrash/death metal band Transmetal recorded a Spanish translation for their album Tristeza de Lucifer called "Las letanias de satan" ("Satan's litanies" in English).
• The Norwegian black metal act Gorgoroth performed "Litani til Satan", with Baudelaire's lyrics translated to Nynorsk, on their Incipit Satan album.
• The Polish band Sunrise Black recorded a Polish translation for their album Omnia pro Patria released in 2013.
• The Italian band Theatres des Vampires recorded a French version for their album Bloody Lunatic Asylum released in 2001.
• The Greek band Rotting Christ recorded a French version for their album Rituals released in 2016.
• Theater Oobleck recorded a version as part of their "Baudelaire In A Box" series. ^[8]
• In 2018, Anakarsis a French group whose musical work is based around the book The Flowers of Evil recorded a rock version of The Litanies of Satan. ^[9]

References

1. Starkie, Enid (1933). Baudelaire. G.P. Putnam's sons. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
2. Debusscher, Gilbert; Schvey, Henry I.; Maufort, Marc (1989). New essays on American drama. Rodopi. p. 16. ISBN   978-90-5183-107-8 . Retrieved 21 September 2010.
3. Lawler, James R. (1997). Poetry and moral dialectic: Baudelaire's "secret architecture". Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 156. ISBN   978-0-8386-3758-6 . Retrieved 21 September 2010.
4. universitet, Uppsala (1975). Studia anglistica upsaliensia. Almqvist & Wiksell. ISBN   978-91-554-0331-7 . Retrieved 21 September 2010.
5. Daniel, Robert R. (1997). The poetry of Villon and Baudelaire: two worlds, one human condition. P. Lang. ISBN   978-0-8204-3472-8 . Retrieved 21 September 2010.
6. Leakey, F. W. (1992). Baudelaire, Les fleurs du mal . Cambridge University Press. p.  31. ISBN   978-0-521-36116-3 . Retrieved 21 September 2010. Les Litanies de Satan.
7. Flowers From Hell: A Satanic Reader
8. "Music | Theater Oobleck". Theateroobleck.bandcamp.com. 2015-08-23. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
9. Anakarsis - Les Litanies de Satan - Charles Baudelaire Les Fleurs du Mal. YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-09.

External links

• Litanies of Satan, English and French